Channel Surfer: Weekend TV

Edie Falco returns as "Nurse Jackie" in the series' fifth season premiere on Sunday.

A pair of powerful women return to premium cable, the country's best comic gets the spotlight, and an unlikely new action hero debuts in your weekend TV Picks.

Friday

"Happy Endings" (7 and 7:30 p.m. on ABC, cable channel 8): A couples' game night gets out of hand, and Penny (Casey Wilson) has a major development, which is lamely vague, but I don't want to spoil anything for the 10s of you watching.

"Spartacus: War of the Damned" (8 p.m. on Starz, cable channel 751): The series ends with Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) and his rebels making one last stand against the Romans.

"Da Vinci's Demons" (9 p.m. on Starz): Leonardo Da Vinci as an action hero? That's the premise of this new series from David S. Goyer, co-writer of the Christopher Nolan "Batman" movies.

Saturday

"Doctor Who" (7 p.m. on BBC America, cable channel 317): The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) land on an Earth submarine in 1983 as an alien creature threatens to heat up the cold war.

"Bet on Your Baby" (7 p.m. on ABC): No, the premise is not as horrible as the title makes it sound. Families bet on how well they know their toddlers in this new game show hosted by Melissa Peterman ("Reba," "Baby Daddy").

"Once Upon a Time" (7 p.m. on ABC): A special episode (read: not exactly a new one) shows how Storybrooke residents have adjusted since regaining their memories and offers a preview of the season's final four episodes.

"The Amazing Race" (7 p.m. on CBS): The teams head to Switzerland to revisit one of the series' greatest challenges -- rolling giant wheels of cheese down a mountain.

"The Good Wife" (8 p.m. on CBS): A rape trial goes viral thanks to a hacker group, and Diane (Christine Baranski) gets vetted.

"Game of Thrones" (8 p.m. on HBO): Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) shoulders new responsibilities, and Jon (Kit Harington) is taken to the Fist of the First Men.

"Nurse Jackie" (8 p.m. on Showtime, cable channel 711): Edie Falco returns for the fifth season of this comedy-drama. Jackie is still sober but struggling as her divorce goes from bad to worse, two new doctors join the staff and she hast to deal with a birthday on top of it all. Last season's turnaround, when showrunners decided that Jackie couldn't keep getting away with everything with impunity, still seems to be holding up in this season's first two episodes, at least.

"Veep" (9 p.m. on HBO): Selina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) sees an opportunity to expand her role after successful midterm election appearances in the second-season premiere of this hysterical comedy.

"The Borgias" (9 p.m. on Showtime): As Season 3 begins, Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons) fights for his life after being poisoned, and his cardinals jockey for position.